Finding wires

i have a stanley knife modified and a plug my meter into the bottom of it. push the blade into the wire. and get a reading that way on't need to tape the wire usally.

well thats how i do it

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

Use your wire cutters and gently hold the wire with them making sure not to cut it. A gentle squeeze will make contact with the wire underneath the shield. Place your test probe agianst the cutters. You need to make sure you don't touch any metal....

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Mike M2
Tech Manager
CS Dealer Services

i would do what mike suggested with a stanley not cutters. no finesse to cutters

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

hideo namigata wrote:

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Hi guys, I have not so expensive digital meter without clamps. If I try to find correct wires with coupler nearby

then I can check it but if the wire is in tight place and I need to test it I need to cut the wire to test but I do not want to cut it unless it is absolutely necessary. How do you find the correct wires without cutting them? Maybe T-taps to use ? with the digital meter without clamps ? Any better way to find, appreciated wtih any advise.

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Personally, if time permits asking someone is probably is the best thing. This site is one of them. Getting good wiring diagram is also important.   Otherwise a piercing probe is the best thing to use. Everything I have found is secondary.

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Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.

maybe its cos of my location but the colours a very rarely right on the diagrams that why i have to test everything

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

If you frequently need to probe unknown wires, something like this would be good- available from digikey and various other places.
I usually would just use a pin to make it through the insulation with the minimum amount of disturbance, but the insulation piercing test probe is a lot more finger-friendly..

This one is twice the price, but it's got nice extended tips to reach into a bundle, and you can just connect it to your meter with the banana jack-
Just slip the wire in and push to probe.

Dualsport,

Where do you get that thing?

I didn't realize that I've gotta have it until I saw it.

-Rob

They've got them at Digikey.com, just search for "insulation piercing" and they should come up-

Search for 461-1028-nd and it should come right up on the second item-

neat looking job i have something similar only find it good on the heavien wires though. thinner ones seem to get mashed and pushed aside.

just left my box in her house today i'll post a pic of the stanly. i find it good for all gauges..

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

Yeah, I have a different type that attaches to the tip of the probe, and has a needle in the middle of a V-groove, but it's not all that good for the thin stuff, because it lets it slip to the side. It has to be braced with a finger behind it anyway, so most of the advantage is lost; except it's maybe just a bit less likely to take a blood sample than an open pin.

Did some poking around and saw these too-
$14 each or $49 for 5, maybe split up the set between your buddies and pick a color-   



These are supposed to handle wire sizes down to 0.050 to 0.150, so that might cover a pretty good percentage of the wires you'd want to probe.

natsys wrote:

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Dualsport,

Where do you get that thing?

I didn't realize that I've gotta have it until I saw it.

-Rob

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Really.......?

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Yeah, really.

I've been using an alligator clip on my ground lead to attach to good metal, and sharpened my positive probe to a pinpoint to probe wires. It works great for piercing all gauges of wire to determine voltage and polarity but if I have to hold the wire to probe it or separate it from a bundle, I run the risk of the point rolling off of the wire and into my finger. It helps to angle the probe in the direction the wire runs, but a tool that will hold the back of the wire and insert a probe without drawing blood seems like a good idea to me.

Okay, I admit, I did use hyperbole to express my excitement over finding out about a tool that I didn't know existed, but can most certianly use and will definitely buy.

go with the stanley knife takes i while to make but works a treat

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

This is a closeup of the business end of the probe-
It has a nice wedge taper to slip inside a bundle of wires, then you just push the spring loaded release in the rear of the probe, turn it sideways and hook the wire you want to probe, pull back lightly to keep the wire centered in the V-groove, release the probe, and the spring does the rest. With the banana jack on the end, you can hook it up to your DMM with a dual banana plug test lead.

The tip is nicely centered in the V-groove, so it can work with thin gauge wires as well as thick ones.
If you have unusually hard insulation, it helps to rock it back and forth a couple times to help the tip penetrate the insulation. With the kinds of wires you'd typically be dealing with for automotive installations, this is a one handed affair.
I got that five pack, but you really only need one, because I figure just one should last forever with reasonable care (such as using it for voltage and resistance probing only, not pushing high current through it, where you run the risk of melting the tip). Worth having the spares in case it gets lost somewhere though.

Afterwards, a little massaging of the insulation leaves virtually no trace. If it's an exterior wire, you could apply a dab of sealant to make sure you haven't given corrosion a toehold.

Try it, you'll like it.. nifty-